soil Soil Ph

Mamsoth

Mamsoth

Just done one of those capsule tests for soil ph and it's looking like my potting soils at about an 8 which would explain my poor harvest last year. Anyway I've done some looking around and it looks like the best way to go is to add some sphagnum peat moss and/or agricultural sulphur. 
 
Would I need both or is one preferable to the other? I've also been reading a bit about iron sulphate, would anyone recommend using that?
 
Cheers
 
Matt
 
thanks for the link Noah, it looks like good stuff, how much would you need to add to a 3 gallon pot do you reckon?
 
I use granulated garden gypsum from espoma... and I would mix up a large volume of soil at one time and apply at a rate of between 3 and 5 percent of dry voulme.  If your plants are already potted... then I would just put a pinch in a gallon of water making sure to dissolve the granular pellets (using a little hot water.)  
 
Noah Yates said:
I use granulated garden gypsum from espoma... and I would mix up a large volume of soil at one time and apply at a rate of between 3 and 5 percent of dry voulme.  If your pants are already potted... then I would just put a pinch in a gallon of water making sure to dissolve the granular pellets (using a little hot water.)  
Click to expand...
 
Ok, good to know. My plants are potted but are in tiny pots (about a gallon). Thinking about it, maybe I'd be better off just repotting using a potting mix thats already around 6.5-6.8. Would anyone have any recommendations for such a mix?
 
Sulfur will not lower the pH immediately, it mainly works to lower pH after certain bacteria get a hold of it. Its a good way to go no doubt, just don't expect the full effect to be immediate
Also, nice avatar pic
 
Cheers Noah, I'll have to check that out
impending_bending said:
Sulfur will not lower the pH immediately, it mainly works to lower pH after certain bacteria get a hold of it. Its a good way to go no doubt, just don't expect the full effect to be immediate
Also, nice avatar pic
Click to expand...
 
Thank you talking coyote. I love that episode  :lol: . Yeah I've got a bunch of large pots overwintering in the garage which I'll have to work on now to bring the ph down by next year. I've got a few small 1 gallon pots on my windowsill which I'm now thinking I will just repot into some better potting mix which is a more suitable PH level.
 
Also... leaf mold, as an organic amendment, is fairly acidic... that is compost which consists of only leaves (piles of dried leaves that have rotted for several months or more)
 
Noah Yates said:
Also... leaf mold, as an organic amendment, is fairly acidic... that is compost which consists of only leaves (piles of dried leaves that have rotted for several months or more)
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Thats a good tip, I have some leaf mold that should be ready by the summer. Wish there was a way to lower the ph a little more speedily but I guess I'll just have to be patient
 
So from your soil analysis were you able to determine whether your soil was high in nitrogen?... because nitrogen rich materilas are naturally basic (amonia)
 
In relation to this topic... when composting you must balance carbons (dried leaves, mulch) with nitrogen rich materials (manures/straw/grass) for precisely the reason that pH balances are necessary for the thriving of biota.
Carbon rich composts engender an acidic environment... while nitrogen rich materials are broken down by micro biota that excrete amonia which is basic as all get out ;)
 
I have got another capsule for the nitrogen test but I cant seem to locate it at the moment. I'm sure when I do it'll show high levels. I think I went a bit mad with the bat gauno (which I think is fairly alkaline?). I used bat gauno, worm castings, homemade compost then some store bought soil (also some perlite and vermiculite).  Definitely should have reigned back on the gauno tho  :confused:
 
Its not that guano itself is alkaline... its that the byproducts of the metabalism of the guano by the microorganisms in the soil will be alkaline... It is those very by-products, however, that feed your plants... when applied in the correct balance :party:
 
Mamsoth said:
Wish there was a way to lower the ph a little more speedily but I guess I'll just have to be patient
Click to expand...
8 is way too high. You're looking for a ph of somewhere around 5.8 - 6.8. If you have an extreme of on either side you run the risk of locking out nutrients and getting deficiencies. One solution, and a much faster acting one at that, is to find a hydro store and pick up a bottle of PH down. You'll also want to pick up a tester of some sort. The ph test drops are fairly cheap (around $10). Keep in mind that this is NOT a permanent solution, but you'll be able to grow peppers. Just like hydro growers, you'll have to ph your water with every watering. It will allow you to avoid lockouts and get you going right away.
 
Shoot for 6.5 - I use potting soil and amend with compost. I mainly pot peppers and that's worked for me. Peppers are pretty easy to grow. I have some that are several years old.
 
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